All Aboard!

Everyone has heard the Gilligan’s Island premise: the “three-hour tour” that turned into years. Well, the little boat tour may just be the way to go, especially if you want to see the city! Hail a cab and see it from the ground up, ride the elevator to the top of the highest tower for the bird’s eye view, or take to the water and see it from a unique vantage point that a growing number of tourists are on board with.

Touring the town by boat is a growing trend in city tourism, with a resurgence and revitalization of many downtowns and canals once untouched or left behind. These tours are not limited to the coasts. In fact, from the nation’s boundaries all the way in, there’s a river (and a city) with a view.

Tourists in San Diego enjoy sightseeing on the bay every day of the sunny year. Narrated tours delight explorers longing to see the scenery and the beautiful skylines and may want to do some waterfront shopping. The water taxi picks up at stops along the way so passengers can eat, shop and play on the water.

Hopping coasts, Miami takes on a different vibe with their version of the river tour. Local historians narrate one route, including history of the Tequesta Indians and the cargo district. This waterfront city is undergoing a complete transformation as dozens of hotels, condos and buildings are popping up along the banks, making it a cultural hotbed of past meets present. Modern yachts seats up to 140 people and navigate what isn’t the prettiest body of water in the city; it’s not the clearest or the cleanest, and it’s certainly not made for swimming. But along its banks are remnants of Miami as it once was, and what it longs to be.

Savannah follows Miami’s lead with historic and architectural tours by boat. In a historic riverboat, the captain’s intriguing tales of times gone by appeal to all ages during this two-hour ride. Tourists learn the history of Savannah, the port, and see statues that tell their own stories along the way.

What would river tours be without the mighty Mississippi? Experience New Orleans the way our ancestors did—with paddles! With tributaries stretching into more than thirty states, the Mississippi has hosted passengers and cargo boats on the bustling riverfront throughout history. Today, passengers experience the paddleboat as they float past the French Quarter, Port of New Orleans, landmarks, the devastation of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans and the modern-day battle scars of Hurricane Katrina.
While out East, don’t miss the Chattanooga Riverboat Cruise aboard a 70-passenger catamaran, the first of its kind in the Southeast. This scenic waterway is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, each pointed out by a Chattanooga Aquarium naturalist who also narrates points of interest along the route. If history calls your name, choose the Southern Belle, a three-deck paddlewheel tour that highlights Confederate and Union army points of interest and the history of Lookout Mountain.

One of the most well-known and popular river tours is in the Windy City of Chicago. Being dyed green every St. Patrick’s Day brings fame to this waterway, but the tours by boat are heralded as the most iconic in the land. The breathtaking skyline, vibrant city history and famous architecture triumph as visitors head out to Lake Michigan and back. Slow, romantic cruises by candlelight to fast, fun connections between major tour destinations include the Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue Bridge, the famous “Corn Cobs,” and Union Station.

Two more tours staking their claim in canal revitalization are river tours in Oklahoma City and St. Louis. People often don’t consider these land-locked lands as boat-friendly, but the downtown areas and their river walks are taking the Midwest by storm. The Bricktown Water Taxi in Oklahoma City runs continual service like a bus; water “ambassadors” narrate points of interest along the way. In nearby St. Louis, take a ride on a replica 19th-century paddle-wheel boat from the riverfront below the south leg of the Gateway Arch. While cruising, passengers are treated to a historical overview of the area and the role this working river still plays today.

Finally, travel deep into the heart of Texas for the original and arguably most famous and most photographed Riverwalk. River taxis make 39 stops for passengers to board or hop off at eat, meet and play destinations in iconic San Antonio. This tour set the standard for many of the others to follow and has set the stage for river tourism in America.

Seeing the city from the water gets tourists outside the norm. Sit back, relax and let the Skipper take you on a tour. Just steer clear of the three-hour version.

Sources: creolequeen.com, riosanantonio.com, gatewayarch.com, bricktownwatertaxi.com, shorelinesightseeing.com, islandqueencruises.com, savannahriverboat.com, historymiami.org, sandiego.org, chattanoogariverboat.com, tnaqua.org.